Tournament director (poker)
Encyclopedia
In the game of poker
, the tournament director is the individual charged with running the poker tournament
. The job encompasses many roles, the most public of which is typically announcing the phrase "shuffle up and deal!" at the beginning of the day. A tournament director also declares the tournament blind
s and ante
structure.
Most Tournament Directors will be responsible for the structure of the game they are running to ensure the game is completed within a set time scale. TD's also handle matters such as table consolidation, player registration, etiquette and procedure enforcement and controlling the game at all stages including important stages such as when the players remaining are close to being inside the 'bubble' a term used to describe the amount of players remaining in a tournament versus the amount of players that shall be getting paid.
The Tournament Director carries absolute authority before during and after any game of poker, and the decisions they make are final. Players have no redress if they do not agree with a TD's decision.
Additionally, tournament directors perform such other tasks as adjudicating disputes between dealers and players and also among the players themselves. Tournament directors are (generally) employees of the casino
that the tournament is being hosted at, although this varies. For example, Matt Savage
has appeared at various made-for-TV tournaments such as "King of Vegas
", which do not take place at his place of employment. Other TD's work for travelling tournaments such as the World Poker Tour
and the World Series of Poker
.
Robert Thompson
is another famous tournament director who has appeared on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown
ever since season one. Robert is known for saying the famous words of "Shuffle Up and Deal" occasionally throughout each episode of the show. Robert would also help out when some of the players wanted to make a bet or a raise, assuring that the proper amount of chips were put out.
Some of the most noted Tournament Director's in the world today are Matt Savage, who works with various tour circuits, Jack Effel who is the World Series of Poker Tournament Director and Thomas Kremsler, who is the leading Tournament Director for major events in Europe.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
, the tournament director is the individual charged with running the poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
. The job encompasses many roles, the most public of which is typically announcing the phrase "shuffle up and deal!" at the beginning of the day. A tournament director also declares the tournament blind
Blind (poker)
The blinds are forced bets posted by players to the left of the dealer button in flop-style poker games. The number of blinds is usually two, but it can range from none to three....
s and ante
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
structure.
Most Tournament Directors will be responsible for the structure of the game they are running to ensure the game is completed within a set time scale. TD's also handle matters such as table consolidation, player registration, etiquette and procedure enforcement and controlling the game at all stages including important stages such as when the players remaining are close to being inside the 'bubble' a term used to describe the amount of players remaining in a tournament versus the amount of players that shall be getting paid.
The Tournament Director carries absolute authority before during and after any game of poker, and the decisions they make are final. Players have no redress if they do not agree with a TD's decision.
Additionally, tournament directors perform such other tasks as adjudicating disputes between dealers and players and also among the players themselves. Tournament directors are (generally) employees of the casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
that the tournament is being hosted at, although this varies. For example, Matt Savage
Matt Savage (poker)
Matt Savage is an American poker tournament director. He has officiated at a number of televised poker and gambling events, including the World Series of Poker , Bay 101's Shooting Star stop on the World Poker Tour, Poker Dome Challenge and King of Vegas.In 2001, along with Linda Johnson, Jan...
has appeared at various made-for-TV tournaments such as "King of Vegas
King of Vegas
King of Vegas was a gambling series that first aired on Spike TV in the United States on January 17, 2006. It was hosted by boxing commentator Max Kellerman and co-hosted by handicapper Wayne Allyn Root, who gave color commentary and his odds-on favorites for each game...
", which do not take place at his place of employment. Other TD's work for travelling tournaments such as the World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
and the World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
.
Robert Thompson
Robert Thompson (poker director)
Robert Thompson is a Las Vegas poker official. He served as the tournament director on Celebrity Poker Showdown. Phil Gordon said on one broadcast that Thompson is one of the best tournament directors in Las Vegas...
is another famous tournament director who has appeared on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown
Celebrity Poker Showdown was a celebrity game show on the cable network Bravo. It was a limited-run series in which celebrities played poker, and ran eight tournaments during its five-season run....
ever since season one. Robert is known for saying the famous words of "Shuffle Up and Deal" occasionally throughout each episode of the show. Robert would also help out when some of the players wanted to make a bet or a raise, assuring that the proper amount of chips were put out.
Some of the most noted Tournament Director's in the world today are Matt Savage, who works with various tour circuits, Jack Effel who is the World Series of Poker Tournament Director and Thomas Kremsler, who is the leading Tournament Director for major events in Europe.